Szczesny earns his continuity at Barcelona: renewal imminent

Wojciech Szczesny has managed to turn his situation at FC Barcelona around 180 degrees in the first two months of 2025. After spending his first two months at the club on the bench, the former Juventus player has earned the starting position with some luck, but also with stellar performances like the one on Wednesday against Benfica (0-1). Looking ahead to next summer, his future seems practically resolved.

"Will I sign a new contract in the summer? Right now, I'm not worried about that", 'Tek' began saying after the match in Lisbon. The Polish player maintains an unbeaten streak of 14 matches, with 8 clean sheets this year, which ultimately vindicates Hansi Flick regarding his starting position. It took '25' a couple of months to regain his physical form after coming out of retirement, although since his arrival in Catalonia he seemed ready to play immediately.

After his debut, it took a handful of matches to see the best version of the 34-year-old goalkeeper. "My focus is on the matches, I want to give my best for Barcelona and then we'll see about my future, at the right time," he added when discussing his renewal. The club's idea is to offer him one more year on his contract, anticipating the return of Marc-André ter Stegen next summer.

Szczesny's renewal, a sentence for Iñaki Peña?

In this sense, Szczesny's renewal seems to open the exit door for a relegated Iñaki Peña to the bench from now until the end of the season. The Alicante native has a contract until 2027, but he will have very few opportunities to regain the starting position with 'Tek' and Ter Stegen on the team. In principle, the club hopes to earn around 10 million euros from his transfer, although the final decision will be in the hands of the player.

Before losing the starting position, Iñaki played 22 matches, with 6 clean sheets and 25 goals conceded. His teammate, on the other hand, has conceded 13 goals in 14 appearances. Barcelona has looked much more solid defensively with the Pole in goal and, for the remainder of the season, the debate over the starting position in goal is completely closed both in La Liga and in the Cup and Champions.